risky business
by flowersandswords
Summary: Uchiha Sasuke's a ruthless con man, he's supposed to be scamming Haruno Sakura, not falling in love with her.
1. prologue

It takes five seconds for a con man to plot, ten seconds for a con man to escape.

 _One._

Sasuke's fingertip brush along the edges of the poker cards, a lit cigarette dangles from his lips.

There's three other guys slumped around the green poker table, all in the finest of foreign suits, swirling glasses of whiskey in their calloused palms.

His dark eyes glance at the man to his right, tall and blonde, Uzumaki Naruto, his partner, his best friend.

Tonight he's a stranger though, they formally shake hands like businessmen and smile at each other like acquaintances.

And so it begins.

 _Two._

Gambling is risky, deception is riskier.

Fortunately, he's wickedly good at both.

Towers of chips, red and blue and white, are pushed into the middle of table.

No one sees him switch the deck, he's quick with his hands, seemingly manipulating time to their advantage.

 _Three._

Naruto shuffles the cards skilfully, tactfully and then deals them one by one.

There's a faint smirk on his lips and his fit body holds arrogance in such a flattering way.

Sasuke's more stoic in nature. He simply relaxes against his chair and waits.

They both know this will be over soon.

 _Four._

Hundreds, thousands, millions of dollars rest on this one game.

Sasuke looks up from his cards, briefly meeting his partner's blue eyes.

Con men speak with not their tongues, but their eyes, with their bodies.

And Naruto tells him, in one mere glance, that he's got five of a kind.

 _Five._

There are calloused fists banging on the poker table, saliva sprays into the smoky air and rage is everywhere.

Sasuke narrows his eyes at his partner and argues with him like a stranger, "That's fucking impossible."

Deception is a skill, one he's practiced over and over.

The other men around the table chime in, slamming down their glasses and mimicking Sasuke's disbelief.

Naruto's smiling an idiotically wide smile, white teeth shine against his sun tanned face and he shrugs, "I'm lucky." He reaches across the table and pushes the chips towards himself.

His blue eyes reach Sasuke once more and there's a different look this time, one more urgent.

The clock starts up again and it's time to escape.

 _One._

Naruto cashes in the chips, he's fast on his feet and pretends not to hear the grumbles of protest behind him.

The money's in thick wads, placed carefully into a leather suitcase and his partner grips it in his fingers like his life depends on it.

And it does.

 _Two._

Sasuke takes a long drag from his cigarette, feels the smoke fill his lungs.

"That wasn't luck. No one's that lucky." One of the men grumbles, his thick eyebrows furrow and his eyes move across Sasuke's indifferent face, "Hey kid, you know that blonde guy?"

"Nope," He replies thoughtfully, still holding the cigarette between his lips, "Wish I did though."

 _Three._

Sasuke takes another long drag of his burning cigarette and then smashes it into the ashtray to right of him, "Well gentlemen," The chair screeches on the marbled floor as he gets up, "It's been fun, but I'll be leaving now."

The men merely huff in response, still feeling burned from their losses.

Then something happens.

One of the shorter, chubbier men fidgets around with deck of cards, looks at them with his deep brown eyes and realization washes over his whole body.

He throws down the deck angrily and the cards fly everywhere.

 _Four._

"That bastard switched the cards!"

And then he's running.

 _Five._

Adrenaline courses through his entire body, pumping in his heart, flooding his veins.

They're chasing after him, he knows it, feels it in the pit of his stomach but it's not fear that pinches at his flesh, it's excitement.

 _Six._

"I'll fucking kill you!"

They're still screaming behind him when Sasuke feels someone tug at the back of his white dress shirt.

The silky material is balled into the hands of one of the gamblers and he's thrown down onto the ground, hitting the marble floor with an audible thump.

 _Seven._

He's back on his feet, dodging swift punches and then he swings his right fist across the gambler's cheek. Something cracks and crumbles and he's not sure if it's his own bruised knuckles or the man's busted face.

 _Eight._

The gambler's eyes roll up in pain, Sasuke sees nothing but white.

And then he's running again.

 _Nine._

Naruto's already in his black car, a smirk pulls at the corner of his lips when he sees Sasuke sprinting towards him.

The blonde leans over and pushes the passenger door open, laughing victoriously and smooth like honey.

Sasuke's breathing heavy, trying to get the words to spark in his throat, "Go!"

 _Ten._

The engine of the car hums to life and his best friend slams his foot on the gas.

They're gone.

* * *

Sasuke places the leather suitcase onto Orochimaru's desk, "We were successful."

The long haired man smiles, dragging his pale fingers across the top of the suitcase, he doesn't take his eyes off of Sasuke.

He opens the suitcase with a deep sigh of satisfaction, pale fingers brush against the thick wads of money, "Job well done," He purrs lightly, thin lips curling into another smile, "As expected of the two of you."

Sasuke ignores the empty flattery, spreads his hands across the front of Orochimaru's desk, looking him in the eyes, "When do we get our cut?"

Orochimaru shuts the suitcase, narrowing his yellow eyes, "All in good time, my boy."

Sasuke scowls in response, pushing his weight off the front of the desk.

"What?" Orochimaru asks, flipping his long black hair over his shoulder, "You don't trust me?"

"No. I don't."

The long haired man widens his eyes, feigning surprise, "How awful! We've worked together for years now."

Sasuke glares at the man, "I'm not going to ask again, when do we get our cut?"

"You'll get it once the big boss get his cut, until then you'll have to be _patient_." Orochimaru says with an exhausted sigh, "You're quite short tempered, you know that? That's exactly why I was hesitant about giving you this." He waves a thick folder in Sasuke's face, a devious smile on his pale lips.

"What mission?" Sasuke grumbled lowly, snatching the folder from Orochimaru's weak grasp.

He flips open the folder only to find a small picture of a middle aged man, furrowing his dark eyebrows he looks up at Orochimaru, perplexity beaming in his eyes.

Orochimaru crosses his arms over his chest, "Haruno Kizashi. The man behind Haruno Corporations, he's one of the wealthiest man in the Fire Country."

"You're going to assassinate him?"

"No," Orochimaru says plainly, " _You_ are."

"What?" Sasuke questions as he stares down at Haruno Kizashi's photographed face, "Why me?"

Orochimaru's yellow eyes dart to meet Sasuke's, his thin eyebrows raise in surprise, "You...don't recognize this man?"

Sasuke shakes his head slowly, confusion washes through his tired body, "No?"

"Oh, you poor child." Orochimaru laughs wickedly, clicking his long tongue in disdain, "Haruno Kizashi is the man behind Haruno Corporations, _and_ he is also the man behind the Yakuza."

Sasuke's black eyes widen at the name, he can suddenly feel his heart pounding in his chest, "You mean, he's the-"

"Yes," Orochimaru interrupts impatiently, "He's the one responsible for your family's murders."

Sasuke looks back down at Haruno Kizashi's photograph, anger swells through his veins and tears poke at his eyes, "How do you know for sure?"

Orochimaru simply shrugs, his long black hair falls over his shoulders like waves, "You joined us on the one condition that I would help you find the man responsible for your family's murders," A vile smile pulls at the corner of his mouth, "We've helped you, now it's time for you to return the favor." He struts back to his desk in long strides, "You want your revenge, don't you?"

Sasuke's jaw clenches, his fingers grip around the corners of the photograph, he doesn't say anything but Orochimaru knows his answer.

"As you know, Haruno Kizashi is one of the wealthiest men in the Fire Country, he's got more money than God." The smile on his grayish mouth gets bigger as he talks, "So here's the deal, the big boss wants all of that money and you, my dear child, want to take your revenge and kill him."

"Where is this bastard?" Sasuke speaks through gritted teeth, "I'll kill him now-"

"Stop talking." Orochimaru raises his voice, interrupting Sasuke once again, "You can't be impulsive! Haruno Kiazshi will _not_ be an easy man to take down." He brings his pale fingers to rest at his beating temples, "He's got more guards following him around than you can deal with by yourself and on top of that, this man is highly publicized. He's on every news channel, every magazine and if you get caught, the big boss will kill you before you can even think about running away."

Orochimaru glares at Sasuke, taking a breath before continuing, "This will be a dangerous mission. It could takes months to even be able to see Haruno Kizashi, and even then, you may not be able to get through his security."

"So what exactly is the plan then?" Sasuke asks suddenly.

"Become apart of the company, become a confidant and guard to this man," Orochimaru speaks slowly, carefully, "Steal his financial records, his bank codes and anything you can get your hands on regarding his fortune. And then, kill him. Slit his throat, cut off his limbs, do whatever you see fit to satisfy your revenge. Just don't get caught and make sure no one traces it back to the big boss."

Sasuke nods in understanding, his whole body shakes with anger, with excitement and fury. His fingers stretch over Haruno Kizashi's photograph, crumpling it into a ball and tossing it beside him. He shuffles through the rest of the folder, files and files of background on Haruno Corporations make up most of the stack and that's when a flash of pink catches his eye. He grasps it, realizing it's a photograph of a girl.

Sasuke grips the photograph between his fingers, "Who's this?"

The girl's hair is chopped short, resting at the middle of her pale neck and it's pink. She's got almond shaped eyes, greener than emeralds and sensual full lips.

She's beautiful.

"Haruno Sakura. The only daughter of Kizashi and the single heir to Haruno Corporations." Orochimaru's yellow eyes stare down at her picture, "She's Kizashi's one weakness. Apparently she's a real awful girl, but she'll be a nice little pawn in our game. Don't you think?" His wicked laughter echoes across the dim lit room, the lines of his crows feet deepen and his pointy teeth flash under his lips.

Sasuke doesn't say anything, his dark eyes fixate on Haurno Sakura's photograph. Her bright, smiling face seems to mock him and he hates it. He hates how someone so beautiful, so pure looking could share the blood of a man so vile and evil.

"Well," Orochimaru suddenly taps his long fingers on his desk, "Do you want the mission or not?"

Sasuke closes his eyes, breathing in the air around him. His mother's smiling face appears behind his eyelids, the sound his father's stern voice echoes in his ears and the weight of his older brother is heavy in his heart.

"Yes."

And so it begins.

* * *

a/n: hello everyone! as i had said before, i have come back to this story but i wanted to make a few adjustments in the plot. I feel as though the changes I have made will make the story a much better read for you guys, as well as easier for me to write. also, i am aware that the Yakuza are a very infamous gang in japan but i just couldn't come up with a name for the gang that Kizashi is behind, so i chose that one.

hope you guys enjoy, please leave me a review and some feedback. thank you!


	2. part one

.

.

.

Sasuke stares at Haruno Sakura's photograph, brushing the tips of his calloused fingers across her smiling face. He studies her faces, memorizes each of her soft features from the slight arch in her brows to the rounded tip of her chin.

She's just turned twenty years old, he knows this for sure based off the informational file that Orochimaru had given him. The file reads that she doesn't have many friends, that she hardly meets with anyone outside of the company. That despite her beauty and the softness in her photographed smile, she is known to have a bitter disposition, a cruel reputation feared by majority of employees at the company.

He is warned over and over by Orochimaru that this will _not_ be an easy mission because Haruno Sakura does not take kindly to strangers, or to anyone really, especially when it came to the people surrounding her father.

It doesn't phase him though, a twenty year old rich girl doesn't scare him in the slightest, not when he's conned people his whole life, not when he's killed with his bare hands.

Sasuke thumbs through the rest of the file, reading it over and over until he hears a sudden sharp knocking at his door.

Orochimaru pushes through without warning, a wicked smile curls onto his pale lips once he sees Sakura's picture in Sasuke's hands, "Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt…" His words fade into a light laughter, yellow eyes crinkling in amusement.

Sasuke glares at him, stuffing the photograph back into the thin file, "Get out."

Orochimaru crosses his arms over his chest, clicking his long tongue in disapproval, "How are you going to get everyone in the company to like you if you act so aggressive all the time? Hmm?"

Sasuke scowls, raising his dark brows impatiently, "What do you want?"

"Well," Orochimaru begins, reaching into his pocket, grasping what looks to be an identification card, "I just came to tell you that we've got your new identity sorted out." He tosses the card to Sasuke, "As of tomorrow your name is Yamasaki Sasuke."

Sasuke examines the card, flips it over in his fingers, sees that his new name is printed boldly under his picture, "Why not change my first name too?"

Orochimaru shrugs, "As I said before, this will be a long mission, it'll be easier for you to use the name you're used to. Besides, your first name is quite common these days, it won't be any trouble." Sasuke nods slowly, tucking the card into his pocket.

"We got you a temporary place in the company as well, you'll start here and work your way up," Orochimaru smiles wickedly, "You like driving, right?"

* * *

one week later

.

.

.

Sakura rests her forehead gently on her father's chest, short pink hair falls in wisps to crown her face. Turning her head slightly, she rests her ear over his rib cage and stays there, waiting. Her eyes are closed tightly and she holds her breath until she hears the sound of his weak heartbeat pulse against her cheek.

 _Thump._

 _Thump._

The warmth of tears stream down her face, down the side of her nose, past her lips and down her chin.

The low murmur of conversation suddenly echoes through the small room, bouncing off the white walls.

Her green eyes blink open, fixating on the half open hospital door and the tall shadows moving behind it.

"It's already been a month, what if he doesn't get better?"

"Who cares about that? What about the company? Sakura's not capable enough to take over business affairs, she'll ruin everything we've been working hard for!"

Their voices are hushed, spoken in haste, overlapping each other but she can hear them, recognizes the voices of her father's advisors.

"Kizashi isn't going to get better anytime soon," This voice is lower, deeper, more masculine, yet she can barely make out the hushed words, "The public can't find out, not yet anyway. If this gets out, the company will be in big trouble."

Sakura clenches her fists at her sides, frustration and anxiety pulse through her entire being. Her father had just recently fallen ill, the doctors tell her that he's been sick for awhile now, that it's inevitable and that he might not get better.

It was top secret in the company, only a few select people even knew this information. She was careful with this secret, converting her father's office into a sort of medical room, hiring the country's best doctors in private. It was all she could do in such a short time.

The citizens of the country believe that Haruno Kizashi is healthy and managing his company with ease, but it's all a lie, a facade that is getting harder and harder to convey. If anyone found out about her father's sickness, about his inability to manage his company, they would come and attack. The news, the magazines and the online columns would be in a frenzy, they would try to tear Sakura down and take everything away from her.

And she was not going to let that happen.

"Shhh," Another voice, more feminine, much softer shushes the man, "This isn't the time or the place to discuss such matters." There's the sound of shuffling feet, of quiet sighs and groans and the shrill screech of the opening door.

Sakura quickly wipes away the wetness on her cheeks, pushes her hair behind her ear and sits stiff, shoulders back like she was taught, like the proper woman she is expected to be.

The advisors push through the door, lips curling over their blinding white teeth into smiles that almost look genuine but Sakura knows better. In the world of business, there is no trust, no sympathy for young girls losing their fathers, there is only calculations and money. There is no one to protect her from their schemes and their fake smiles, so she'll have to protect herself.

Sakura glares at them as they walk towards her father's hospital bed, green eyes narrow in annoyance, "Don't smile at me," She says evenly, crossing her arms over her chest, "Next time you three dimwits decide to talk shit about my father and I, do it when I'm not five feet away. Got it?"

Their eyes widen in surprise, nervous fingers tremble and they nod in union. She watches their lips quiver, like they want to say something, like they want to explain but she's not in the mood for excuses.

In seconds she's on her feet, towering over them in her tall heels, they click on the linoleum floor as she walks, "Get the car ready. Quickly, I'm not in the mood to wait."

One of the advisors, nods his head quickly, stuttering his words, looking at his feet, "Y-yes, ma'am."

Sakura turns on her heel, starts to walk away before looking back at the advisors over her shoulder, "Oh and one more thing," She speaks slowly, her words are soaked in venom, "If _anyone_ , finds out about my father's condition, I will slaughter all of you."

They stare at her with eyes as big as the moon, they don't nod, don't move at all but Sakura knows they understand. She gives them a mocking smile and walks out of the room.

* * *

When the company car pulls up to the front of the hospital they rush over to open the door for her, stumbling over themselves in their failing effort to impress. She rolls her green eyes at them, knowing that their actions are as genuine as their smiles.

Sakura notices, once she's slammed the car door and buckled herself into the black leather seats, that her chauffeur is different from the usual driver she and her father have always had. He's not facing her, but she can see that his hair is quite dark, that the flesh on the back of his neck is pale and his shoulders are built broadly. This man isn't the same as her father's favorite driver, he doesn't have that shiny silver hair, that lazy stance.

"Who are you?" She questions sternly, tilting her head slightly, eyes piercing into the back of his head, "Where's Mr. Hatake?"

The dark haired man turns at her question, looking at her over his shoulder, "I'm your new driver," He says and his voice is smooth like silk, "As far as I know, Mr. Hatake's taking some time off." His eyes are black, alluring and intimidating all at once. She looks him over, notices the thin, fleshy scars that mar his pale skin. There's one that cuts across his dark eyebrow and another that rests just above his cheekbone.

She stares at him, eyebrows raising slightly in surprise, "Oh...I wasn't aware." She's caught off guard, taken back by his fullness of his bottom lip, by the sharpness in his features, "Your name is…?"

"Yamasaki Sasuke," He says and his black eyes bore into hers, she feels his gaze heavy on her skin.

"Okay, Mr. Yamasaki," She says, turning to look out the tinted window, feeling her cheeks burn like fire, "Take me home."

"Right, and where would that be?" He asks curiously, his long fingers tap against the steering wheel.

Sakura jolts forward, "Are you serious? You're supposed to know that already! Weren't you trained for this?"

Suddenly he's laughing, deep and throaty, flashing his sharp canine.

"I was joking." He says suddenly.

She narrows her eyes at him, "I'm not in the mood for jokes," She sighs heavily, slumping in her seat, "Just take me home."

Sasuke's gaze lingers on her for a moment, he looks at her like he wants to say something, like he's going to yell at her for being rude but all he does is nod. The car hums to life, shakes slightly as it accelerates and he doesn't look back at her, not even once.

She watches him in the rearview mirror, watches his black eyes harden and his grip on the steering wheel tighten.

 _He looks like a thug_ , she thinks silently.

And he does, with his dark eyes, with his jagged scars. The intimidating way he stares, the rugged way he drives, fast and reckless like he has no fear. He seems like a rough man, despite the youth in his face and the silky way he speaks.

Sakura rests her forehead against the cool window glass and for the rest of the ride home, sneakily glances at Yamasaki Sasuke, trying her hardest to figure him out.

* * *

a/n: hope everyone is liking the changes i made to this story, they aren't huge or anything but i'm much more eager to write for this story now! you can expect another update within the week. check out my other stories if you'd like!

thanks for reading, leave me a review and tell me what you think!


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